Swing Dancing with Ralph Marterie

I've enjoyed the Ralph Marterie records posted here so far, so, hey why not another?

This item comes from 1955, is called Swing Baby, and is subtitled "dance album," in case the dancers on the cover aren't enough of a clue for you.

(The cover shot is from the same photo session as the one for On Bandstand No. 1 from 1956.)

Marterie's band was popular in the 1950s, but then and now was not considered a "jazz band." Its purpose was to play for dancing and listening, not so much to show off solo improvisations.

That said, there are solos on this LP and the charts are very much in the big band mainstream. In the tunes, the bandleader pays homage to Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman and others. The ensemble is tight and the charts are for the most part enjoyable (save for Laura).

Swing Baby takes its title from the first song on the LP, co-written by Marterie. This song and most of the others are traditional swing band arrangements. Unlike 1953's Dancing on the Down Beat, the album doesn't rely on the nascent rock 'n' roll movement for added spice.

Several songs, however, make use of an electric piano, which was unusual at the time. There were, to my knowledge, only a few such models on the market - the Fender Rhodes and a Wurlitzer. I wish I could enjoy the sound of the instrument, but it lacks the depth, resonance and dynamic range of the real thing - which is also present on some songs.

A few words about the selections:

• "Stella by Starlight" is by Victor Young, dating from 1945. Ned Washington was to add the familiar lyrics, not used here, of course.

• "One O'Clock Jump" is Count Basie's blues-based theme song, here in a different arrangement from the original.

• "It's a Wonderful World" was a 1939 hit for its author, bandleader Jan Savitt, along with Johnny Watson and lyricist Harold Adamson.

• "Basie Boogie" is a Count tune from 1944, written with Milton Ebbins.

• "Lullaby of Birdland" is the famous George Shearing piece based on "Love Me or Leave Me."

• "Robbins Nest" is by the jazz stars Illinois Jacquet and Sir Charles Thompson, from 1947. The title is taken from the radio program of disk jockey Fred Robbins.

• "Midnight Sun" is a 1948 tune by bandleaders Lionel Hampton and Sonny Burke. Johnny Mercer later added lyrics.

• "The Prisoner's Song" is listed as by Guy Massey but the real "author" was Vernon Dalhart, who recorded it in 1924. The song is folk-based, however.

• "Laura" is the great David Raksin theme from the 1944 film of the same name. Johnny Mercer did the lyrics.

• "Woodchopper's Ball" is Marterie's homage to Woody Herman, who wrote the song for his band with Joe Bishop back in 1939.

• "Danse Arabé" is the Arabian dance from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

I wish I could tell you who the soloists are on this record, but as with other Marterie discs, the identity of the musicians is largely unknown. The songs were recorded in October and November 1955 sessions and were not released as singles, as far as I can tell.

Mercury's sound is OK, but the bass was loose and the brass at times strident, both of which I've adjusted. Also, by this time recording engineers had discovered the wonders of the compressor, so there's not much dynamic range.

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